¶ Overview
Susan Collins was friendly with Musk, claiming that she was “very impressed” by him and when she had the chance to have him testify about DOGE at the appropriations committee, she claimed she hasn’t considered it. Collins was even texting buddies with Elon Musk.
Collins also wasn’t totally against DOGE despite the damage it has done to Maine, she claimed that DOGE could be “useful,” voted against defunding it and even was open to codifying DOGE cuts.
Musk could spend millions backing Collins campaign and has already spent $170,000.
¶ Collins Was Friendly With Musk
¶ Collins Met With And Touted Elon Musk
HEADLINE: Susan Collins Has ‘Excellent Meeting’ With Elon Musk That Avoided Talk Of Specific Cuts [Bangor Daily News, 12/6/24]
Collins Had An Hour Long Huddle With Elon Musk. According to the Washington Post, “In the morning, Ramaswamy, a biotech investor who ran for president in the GOP primaries this year before endorsing Trump, met with the Senate DOGE Caucus, led by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX who put more than $100 million toward Trump’s election, met with incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota), then had an hour-long huddle with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the incoming chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee, which writes government spending legislation.” [Washington Post, 12/5/24]
- Collins Said She And Musk “Did Not Go Through Any Kind Of List Of Cuts.” According to CNN, “On the campaign trail, for instance, Musk suggested that he could cut $2 trillion out of a federal budget of about $6 trillion. That would mean cuts to programs like Social Security and Medicare. Collins said after her meeting with Musk that they had an informal discussion about improving the efficiency and effectiveness of government. ‘We did not go through any kind of list of cuts or anything like that. We didn’t get into that.’” [CNN, 12/6/24]
- Collins Said That She Was “Very Impressed” With Elon Musk. According to Politico, “Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, had a private meeting with Elon Musk on Thursday to discuss federal spending. Musk’s meeting in Collins' office is one in a series across both the House and the Senate on Thursday as he and Vivek Ramaswamy visit Capitol Hill to launch their cost-cutting venture, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. ‘I was very impressed with his energy and dedication,’ Collins told reporters. She described the meeting as ‘an informal one-on-one discussion’ that lasted more than an hour. She said the conversation focused on ‘how we could improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government to better serve the American people and to save taxpayer dollars.’” [Politico, 12/5/24]
Collins Said She Had An “Excellent” Meeting With Elon Musk. According to CNN, “And GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the incoming Senate Appropriations chairwoman for the next Congress, told CNN ahead of her one-on-one meeting with Musk, ‘To me, that violates the separation of powers.’ Still, Collins said Thursday she was ‘impressed’ by Musk after her meeting with him last week. ‘As far as the new effort on government efficiency – I can never remember how it’s pronounced, I will admit – I had an excellent 70-minute meeting with Elon Musk,’ Collins said during an interview at the bipartisan ‘No Labels’ conference in Washington.” [CNN, 12/12/24]
Susan Collins Said She Was Texting Buddies With Elon Musk. According to Politico, “The Senate’s top appropriator, and a notable critic of the scope and speed of cuts to the federal government rolled out by the Trump administration, has been texting with Elon Musk. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins said in a brief interview Tuesday she has ‘exchanged text messages’ with the head of the Department of Government Efficiency. It’s a notable development 10 days before the deadline to avoid a government shutdown and months after the Maine Republican’s first and only meeting with the tech billionaire, where she said she was ‘very impressed with his energy and dedication.’ Collins added that despite the text exchanges, ‘I don’t have a meeting scheduled’ with Musk. She also didn’t elaborate on what the two have been texting about, but there is plenty for the pair to discuss.” [Politico, 3/4/25]
¶ When Asked If She Would Bring Musk In To Testify In Front Of The Appropriations Committee, She Claimed That She Hasn’t Considered It
HEADLINE: Challenger Criticizes Susan Collins For Lack Of Oversight Of Elon Musk Spending Cuts [Portland Press Herald, 3/3/25]
Susan Collins Said She Had Not Considered Bringing In Musk Or DOGE To Testify Before The Appropriations Committee, But She Planned To Ask Department Heads To Come Before The Committee. According to the Portland Press Herald, “Collins was asked Thursday by the Press Herald whether she would bring in Musk or other members of his team, known as the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to testify before the appropriations committee. Collins said she hadn’t considered doing so. However, she said she plans to ask all department heads to come before the appropriations committee, and one of the lines of questioning would be how DOGE is impacting their departments, and whether DOGE is interfering with how they want to run them.” [Portland Press Herald, 3/3/25]
¶ Collins Supported DOGE's Efforts
¶ Collins Claimed That The New Department Of Government Efficiency Could Be “Useful”
Collins Claimed That The Department Of Government Efficiency Could Be “Useful.” According to the Portland Press Herald, “Collins said she supports Trump’s decision to ask tech billionaire Elon Musk and former Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency. She expects the duo could apply private-sector principles to increase efficiency. ‘I have not met with either of them at this point and hope to do so to get a better understanding of their plans,’ said Collins, whose committee could be ground zero for implementing cost-saving measures. ‘Having an outside group look at government programs may point to efficiencies and innovation that will provide better services to the people of this country and save money. I think that could well be useful.’” [Portland Press Herald, 11/15/24]
¶ Collins Voted Against An Amendment To Defund DOGE
Susan Collins Voted Against An Amendment To Defund DOGE. According to Must Read Alaska, “Sen. Lisa Murkowski has criticized the Trump Administration for trying to streamline government and reduce waste, fraud, and abuse. On Friday, she also voted to defund the Department of Government Efficiency — DOGE — which is headed up by Elon Musk on behalf of the president. On an amendment to a bill, Maryland Democrat Sen. Chris Van Hollen moved Senate Amendment 1272 to H.R. 1968. The amendment would ‘prohibit the use of appropriated amounts by DOGE.’ Murkowski voted with the Democrats to defund the efficiency initiative, but the amendment failed, 52-48. All other Republicans voted against the amendment, even Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, both who at times vote with Murkowski against the majority of Republicans and against President Donald Trump.” [Must Read Alaska, 3/14/25]
¶ Collins Was Open To Codifying Some DOGE Cuts
Susan Collins Said “It Could Be Possible” To Codify “Some” DOGE Cuts. According to The Hill, “Conservatives in both chambers have been ramping up calls for Congress to codify cuts pursued by Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), particularly as the administration’s efforts encounter roadblocks in court. But Senate Republicans aren’t pushing for a blanket adoption of the administration’s measures in the chamber’s government funding bills for fiscal 2026. When asked about the idea last week, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) told The Hill at the time that ‘it could be possible that, after careful consideration, we would decide to codify some of them.’ However, she added that the efforts shouldn’t be applied ‘across the board.’” [The Hill, 3/19/25]
¶ DOGE Cuts Hurt Maine
¶ DOGE Cuts Hurt Maine’s Fishing Industry
HEADLINE: A Maine Seafood Distributor Says She Is Losing Tens Of Thousands Of Dollars Because Of DOGE Funding Cuts: ‘This Is Not A Business-Friendly Environment’ [Fortune, 3/19/25]
DOGE Froze Funds That Maine Fisherman And Seafood Processors Were Using To Switch To Lower-Carbon Emission Systems Creating Uncertainty. According to Fortune, “Commercial fishermen and seafood processors and distributors looking to switch to new, lower-carbon emission systems say the federal funding they relied on for this work is either frozen or unavailable due to significant budget cuts promoted by President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency. […] ‘The uncertainty. This is not a business-friendly environment,’ said Togue Brawn, a Maine seafood distributor who said she is out tens of thousands of dollars. ‘If they want to make America great again, then honor your word and tell people what’s going on.’” [Fortune, 3/19/25]
¶ DOGE Cuts Hurt Maine Farmers
HEADLINE: DOGE Cuts 'A Big Blow' To Small Farms, Maine Farmer Says [Spectrum News, 4/18/25]
DOGE Cuts Were Cutting Small Farmers From Equipment Upgrades And Customers. According to Spectrum News, “But recent cuts to federal funding by the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency are cutting small farmers like Chretien off from equipment upgrades and even customers. Farmers took to Augusta this week to protest the canceling of key programs. The Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association’s website shows at least seven programs that have been confirmed canceled by USDA and the Trump Administration, including Local Foods for Schools, an initiative that allows school districts to buy local fresh produce.” [Spectrum News, 4/18/25]
A Maine Farmer Claimed that Small Farmers Were Already “Right On The Edge” And That The Cuts Were Hurting Farmers Like him. According to Spectrum News, “Chretien said the cuts are hurting farms like his, which struggle as small businesses even in a good year. Now, he said, they’ll have to find ways to compensate for the cuts. ‘A lot of small farmers are in this position of, you’re right on the edge,’ he said. ‘If you have a bad year or you have a president who pulls out the rug from underneath farmers, then you’re forced to go off-farm and work, or one of the family members has to go get a job.’ For example, Chretien was counting on a federal grant to help finance an expansion of his greenhouse space. It allows seedlings to grow in shelter, despite harsh conditions, and the bigger space would give him room to expand his offerings. But without the grant, that expansion Chretien was counting on will cost him up to $10,000 out of his own pocket. ‘It’s been a big loss, and we’re going to basically have to figure out a way to pay for that,’ he said. ‘We’ll survive, but it’s a big blow to a small farm like us.’” [Spectrum News, 4/18/25]
¶ Musk Was Spending To Boost Collins’ Re-Election
¶ Musk Planned To Spend Millions Supporting Collins’ Re-Election
Maine Public: Elon Musk To Spend Millions Backing Susan Collins' Reelection [Maine Public, 8/3/26]
Maine Public: Elon Musk's Super PAC Begins Electioneering For Susan Collins [Maine Public, 9/4/26]
Bangor Daily News: Elon Musk’s Political Machine Begins Spending To Help Susan Collins [Bangor Daily News, 9/3/26]
Musk Was Planning To Spend Up To $120 Million On Several Races Including Collins.’ According to the Maine Public, “ Elon Musk, the world's richest person, is reportedly planning to spend big to help Republican Sen. Susan Collins get reelected in Maine. The New York Times recently reported that Musk is planning to spend up to $120 million on several battleground races, including in Maine.” [Maine Public, 8/3/26]
¶ Sept 2026: Musk’s Super PAC Spent $170,000 In Support Of Collins’ Campaign
Musk’s Super PAC, America PAC, Spent $170,000 In Support Of Collins’ Campaign. According to the Hill, “ Tech mogul Elon Musk’s super PAC has spent around $800,000 in top House and Senate races this cycle, according to the latest filings. America PAC spent the most in Texas, doling out roughly $248,000 as Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton fights for the Senate in a toss-up contest against Democrat James Talarico. The group spent around $170,000 in Maine, boosting incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R) against Democrat Troy Jackson — and $106,000 in Ohio, where incumbent Sen. Jon Husted (R) faces former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D).” [Hill, 9/3/26]